Miss Universe: the biggest controversies in the history of the beauty pageant

Miss Universe is one of the most important beauty pageants in exist. since its creation in the 50s of the last century, this annual event seeks to commemorate the most representative “beauties” worldwide.

However, like all kinds of contests, throughout history, great controversies have arisen in various editions of the competition and here are some of the most remembered ones.

The Venezuelan Alicia Machado won the Miss Universe crown in 1996, however, over the years it has been discovered that not all of her experience was rosy, as she had major conflicts with former President Donald Trump, who at the time had bought the organization and was the leader of the contest.

And it is that at that time, when the model was 19 years old, her reign was overshadowed by the harsh comments that Trump made towards her in the months after her victory.

This happened because Machado gained a little weight and because of this situation, the Republican decided to put it by exercising in front of the cameras.

Thus, comments such as “Miss Piggy” or “eating machine” were some of those that Alicia had to hear in those years and that seriously affected her.

Likewise, the American citizen denounced the businessman of having tried to have sex with her during the time when she won the beauty contest

Undoubtedly, one of the most renowned controversies in recent years is the moment when, during the broadcast of Miss Universe 2015, television viewers around the world were stunned after that driver Steve Harvey made a fatal mistake.

Everything happened almost at the end of the competition, when all we had to do was name the winning model. At the time, Harvey announced Ariadna Gutierrez from Colombia as the winner of Miss Universe, but when the festivities were getting intense, the host mentioned that it was a mistake and that the real winner was Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach from the Philippines,

Harvey asked the public for their understanding and showed the card with which he had to announce the winner.

“I take responsibility for this, it was my mistake, it's on the card,” said the presenter. “But I can show you, the first runner-up is Colombia, it's my mistake... I feel really bad, please don't blame the girls.”

Wurtzbach looked dumbfounded at the situation, but Vega placed herself in the middle of the two and gracefully transferred the crown to the real winner

One of the few things that can make them lose their glamour in a contest like Miss Universe where year after year young women strive to show off their beauty and charisma on stage, is the falls.

And for several years the contest has not been without them. One of the most remembered was in the Miss Universe 2007 selection, when in Mexico City, Miss United States, Rachel Smith, fell and unintentionally became a YouTube star .

As if this had not been enough, in 2008 a similar episode happened again, but that time it was the turn of Crystle Stewart, who just like her US predecessor slipped miserably.

“I think I'll have to take some runway classes,” Crystle Stewart told the AP at the time.

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